News

The millionth worker was automatically enrolled onto a workplace pension in July according to the Pensions Regulator. All companies will have to automatically enrol eligible workers (which can include PAYE temps and employed agency workers) into qualifying pension schemes, deduct contributions for workers and make employer contributions on their behalf. The national auto enrolment scheme […]

Two recent unfair dismissal cases demonstrate the danger of not following correct procedure when dismissing employees. Neither business had proper policies in place, neither followed a code of practice when dismissing staff and both paid the price! Theresa Mimnagh, Associate Director at Lawspeed said: “Coincidentally both of these cases relate to the use of Social […]

Last week Lawspeed delivered updated Agency to Umbrella contracts to scores of recruitment businesses as part of the legal firm’s on-going dedication to protecting clients’ commercial interests. Ravi Murphy, Director at Lawspeed said: “This latest Contract addresses new potential risk and brings greater clarity to the commercial relationships between agencies and their ‘umbrella’ suppliers. It […]

New research shows that firms are spending more time and money on compliance issues than two years ago. Whilst the overall cost increased by 8.5%, the recent survey from the Forum of Private Business (FPB) demonstrates that one thing has not changed in the past two years; taxation compliance remains the single biggest outlay for […]

Following the excitement around the birth of baby George earlier this week, some may have overlooked the fact that Prince William is now entitled to claim paternity leave and receive the princely sum of £136.78 a week. William will be the first member of the Royal Family to take advantage of statutory paternity leave which […]

It may seem obvious that if an employee commits an act of serious misconduct, such as theft or assaulting a colleague, then their dismissal would be fair (provided that there is evidence to support the allegation.) However, unfair dismissal laws do not just look at the reason for the dismissal, they also take into account […]

A survey of 2,000 business professionals in the UK has revealed that workers are using a broad range of communication channels, especially when delivering bad news. The research, commissioned by Intercity Telecom, found that 38% of British workers have used email or text to inform their boss that they were sick and unable to work. […]

There is no doubt that the government is determined to reduce tax avoidance. HMRC is clearly upping the ante by increasing the number of specialist investigation teams, looking at both global and national breaches of tax laws. So is it any wonder that most UK contractors running their own limited company say that understanding and […]

A recent employment tribunal which reached the Court of Appeal underlined two vital lessons; the importance of proper procedures and the cost and time which employment tribunals can incur. In the long-running case of Davies v Sandwell, a teacher was dismissed by Sandwell Council for minor misconduct whilst on a final written warning relating to […]

The next twelve months will see key changes to the employment landscape, as one-by-one the various measures brought in by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 become law. The Act represents the biggest shake-up of employment law in a generation. Some commentators have felt that employment regulation has been too much in favour of […]

Back in May, Lawspeed reported that fees would be implemented for claimants at Employment Tribunals later this summer. We can now confirm that fees for Employment Tribunals (ET) and Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) will come into place on Monday 29 July 2013. Adrian Marlowe, MD at Lawspeed said: “The introduction of fees is likely to […]

A European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling has provided useful clarification that EU legislation protecting fixed-term workers does not apply to temporary workers supplied by an employment agency to an end-user organisation. The case (Della Rocca v Poste Italiane SpA, C-290/2012), which originally came before the Naples District Court, concerned a worker supplied on a […]

A new service aims to save recruiters, employers and candidates time and money when a criminal record check is necessary for particular roles. The checks required for candidates and volunteers who want to work with children or vulnerable adults, (or become driving instructors), are now being carried out by the new Disclosure and Barring Service […]

Recent APSCO criticism of the Lawspeed article “Umbrellas gearing up to compete?” published on 13th May, was surprising, says Lawspeed. In its article “APSCO supports umbrella company members” on 23rd May APSCO has said that its umbrella company members all deny any intent to compete and suggested that the Lawspeed article was both without foundation […]